The
town of Bridgewater
is located in Plymouth County
and has a population of approximately 26,000 in a total area of 28.2 square
miles.
Located 27 miles south of Boston
and 26 miles north of Providence, the southwestern corner
of the town is at the intersection of Routes 495 and 24.
It
lies along the Taunton River, which arises from the confluence of the Town River
and Matfield River.
There are several ponds, the largest is Lake Nippenicket along the western edge of
the town, which is in the Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area.
Bridgewater was first settled in 1650 as Nunkatateset, part of Duxbury,
and is one of the oldest communities
in the country. It was officially incorporated in 1656, one of the first interior towns in Massachusetts. In the 18th century foundries were operating downtown, where iron forgings for the Revolutionary
and Civil Wars were produced. In the 19th century brick manufacturing emerged
and was the town's most prominient industry. The Stiles and Hart Conservation, which has the remains of an old brick factory, is among
Bridgewater’s many conservation areas. In the center of town, many former mills have been converted into retail space. The historic character of the community is
also preserved in the Federal, Italianate and Greek revival commercial and civic structures surrounding the central common.
Near the center of town is the largest
of nine state colleges, Bridgewater State College.
The
MBTA commuter rail passes through town with a stop at the Bridgewater State College Campus.
In the southern end of the
town is the Bridgewater Correctional Complex, a major facility of the state’s penal system which includes Old Colony Correctional
Center, Bridgewater State Hospital, Mass.
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center and Treatment Center.
Bridgewater shares its school district with neighboring Raynham, with
both towns operating their own elementary and middle schools, and sending their students to a common high school (the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School), which is located in Bridgewater.
